Death Note : Light's Aftermath
by I'myourmisery
Summary: He was stranded beyond the natural world, where those who have perished straddle the lines of life and death. Light struggles to find himself in a world without form, even if it kills him...again. Post-series (AU / anime)
1. Prologue

**Note:**  
Whatever is written here mainly focuses on Light's psych.

Forgive me if Light's thoughts about humans and being Kira are altogether against his personality. The lad was taking his last breath and was in sheer pain after all. You can't expect a man to be totally sane at such a point. Even so, please let me know, if light's personality is brought to the front or not? Thanks :)

And, oh! Everything in italics, represent Light's personal thoughts as a character or as an action.

**P.S** : Yes, this starts from the last episode of the anime. Its a sequel of sort.

Now, go ahead and enjoy the show!

**Warning** : This chap has got some swearing! It was necessary to portray 'someone's' rough personality.

* * *

** PROLOGUE :**

Dusk was setting in and the sky couldn't look more beautiful on that Friday evening. It was painted with hues of orange and reds, which moved together to form the most exotic of colors. The blue blended in just the right proportion to form a purple beeline at the horizon. The skyscrapers of Tokyo were not muted by the sky. Their long elegant shadows marked the roadway, on which many diligent feet shuffled away.

Fathers were returning home from a long day at the office, children were being shepherd back by their folks, their playtime long over. The number of vehicles decreased with every hour. Drivers and commuters alike were looking forward to spend a long, peaceful and fun-filled weekend with their families and friends. Every face in the crowd that passed by on the streets of Tokyo had a satisfied smile upon their lips. Every person was humming a soft tune of tranquility in their head. They felt safe in this crime-filled country. They felt free, after a very long time.

Some were fans and some were inhibited by their 'morals'; there were even a few, who were still stuck in a picky.

Nevertheless, they were all thankful for that serenity in their life. Most of them were subconsciously cheering for their god.

The god, who was now battling for his life. The god, who would most probably cease to exist in the very near future .

But did they care?

No. Not in the slightest.

Why should they?

Because their supposed god was dying?

Well then, he wasn't a god to begin with. He was a liar, a cheat who had manipulated the public's mind to gain power as god...as Kira.

Because, god in their mind, never faltered. Never went weak in the knees. Never needed to be consoled and most certainly did not die.

So yes, if Kira had violated those 'rules' as a god, then he was no-longer a god in their eyes. It did not matter if he had eradicated half their land of dangerous serial killers, rogues and murderers. It did not matter that their women and children were much safer on the streets. It did not matter that their nightlife was a better dream because of him. It did not matter that Kira was the reason for the serene smiles on their faces. None of Kira's 'good' deeds mattered any longer. Not after he had failed to prove himself as the rightful owner of the title known as 'god'.

They would just replace him with another better 'god'. One, who didn't die on the spot, just like that. One, who was sane enough to see that he didn't have to take law into his own hands. One, who was morally stable. One, whom people could question without having the fear of being killed.

The being known as god, Kira, had been reduced to the status of their chew toy. It was as if, on a whim, they could bring him down from his throne.

_Humans are disgusting creatures._ Light admitted through gritted teeth as every smiling face that passed by him burned holes in his head.

_They treat themselves as superior to any other life-form on Earth. But, in reality they are all mindless, heartless, greedy fools._

Light didn't even stop to think that he was in fact insulting himself too, because he didn't consider himself to be one amongst those silly mongrels called humans. He was on a higher level. He was god. He was Kira. That much, he was sure of.

Oh how he loathed them, envied that sparkle in every passing pair of eyes. How he - Cough! Cough!

Blood spurted out of his mouth and soaked the trench coat that was already drenched red, with Light's own blood.

He was wounded.

And badly at that.

The wound came from a bullet he'd taken to his abdomen and was severe. Blood gushed out through it like a waterfall. Light pressed his hand to the gaping hole in his skin and stayed still, due to the severe pain he felt.

His time of rest had been cut-short, as he remembered he was supposed to be fleeing a bunch of special agents. Having realized this, the death-note wielder finally broke into a frenzied run. He'd been staggering before this. Staggering for far too long.

_Matsuda and the others must be catching up._

_Oh shit!_

He dared a look behind and was immediately treated with the sight of three muzzles pointed in his direction. The faces of their wielder's were well hidden behind the vicious weapons. But he didn't need to see them to know who they were. He had worked with them for the past three years. Their faces were practically glued to his brain. Oh, if only he had the Death Note right now.

Light turned his head and willed his limbs to move faster than it was possible for a wounded, mortal man to move.

After having missed a few bullets by a hair's width, he finally managed to lose Matsuda and the others. But they were not far enough, for he could still hear them cursing.

He was in a dark-slim alleyway, a thoroughfare between two rundown buildings in the uptown area. It was dim enough to give him some cover from his pursuers and was narrow enough to let only a lean man pass through.

He stopped for a mere second, just to catch his breath. But that proved to be a fatally wrong decision. For, as soon as he had stopped running , the blood rushed to his head and he felt nauseated.

He was shaking and shivering from every angle. His body was weathered to a point of no return. He crouched down on all fours as his vision dimmed and his world almost faded into black.

It was dark now. The sun had finally set and Light was falling. He just knew it.

His senses were all but a distant memory, when suddenly a voice, akin to his own but much rougher jolted him up from his near-death reverie.

**Up on your feet, you son of a bitch! Kira doesn't like being so weak! Run! NOW!**

Before Light had the time to register surprise upon hearing another voice in his head, his senses alerted him to another presence.

Oh shit. They were here. They were close. Too close for comfort.

Yes, the detectives were standing just a few centimeters away from the entrance to the sorry-excuse for an alleyway that he was currently in.

_How did they find me so soon? Damn, the blood trail was so easy to follow. Yet I'm in no position to allow myself a change of clothes._ Dammit all! Light grimaced.

**Tsk! now is not the time to go pitying yourself. Get the fuck back up to the wall and let them pass through, you dumb shit!**

There it was again! That silly voice in his head. He didn't know whether to be thankful for the timely advice or to smack the shit outta the intangible thing in his head.

He didn't have the time to bother with his personal differences right then, because right after Light had luckily found a small crack in the alleyway to hide in, Matsuda and Aizawa had rushed by, toward the exit.

Light grimaced and sighed in relief at having come so close to his capture.  
He slid down the wall of the creak and sat there trying to ease his lungs a bit, before he could continue.

Once he was sure that his pursuers had left the nearby area, Light slowly, staggered out of the alleyway and into a muddy street.

He squinted to adjust to the night light and tried to find himself a better cover than this filthy alleyway.

There! In the distance he spotted a rundown pawn shop of a kind and without even a second thought, he rushed toward it.

His arms were far too tired to possibly open a measly door. But, thankfully the door of the little shack was weak on its hinges and fell as soon as Light hauled his weight on to the door.

Light dragged his wretched body across the cold floor of the abandoned shop, a bright trail of blood followed his suite. Ignoring the fact that this place could be the brooding ground of miscreants and Mafia gangs alike, he just hoped against hope that no-one would disturb him during his final moments.

Yes, He'd already resigned to his fate. Now all that remained was to wait for the end.

The growling voice that he had heard earlier, argued with the more logical side of his brain.

'course the little bugger didn't want to die. He was the one, who wanted to fight Light's and his own destiny. He wanted to create a spotless world. His life and Light's were intertwined from the day the Death note came into Light's possession. He was the almighty god KIRA and he could conquer everything, but death.

If Light died, then so did he.

And he didn't want that.

**You stupid prick! You're no ordinary mortal! You're god! Save yourself! Get up!**  
That voice was beginning to annoy the shit out of Light. But right then, he was too tired to retaliate so he simply asked the obvious.

- _Get up and go where?_

**Anywhere but here, DUH! You're still not on safe grounds, just in case you didn't notice.**

_I'm in no shape to move, just in case you didn't notice, friend...can I call you a friend?_ Light sighed sarcastically.

**Uh- considering I've been saving your ass all this time, I suppose you could, pal!**

_Wait, that brings about another question-Who are you?_

**Call me Kira.**

That small revelation baffled Light for a tiny second and then he shook his head. He realized that was a lie.

_Riiiiight...and I'm Misa Misa._

**You think of a joke at a time like this? Can't you think of saving yourself instead?**

_Maybe I can't see the point in trying to run from the impossible any longer._

**Are you even listening to yourself -Damnit!**

And whatever Kira was about to say, was overruled by a yell of pure agony as Light's heart underwent its first shock.

Both of them knew what came next. So they waited patiently. Kira had mellowed down significantly after the first attack.

Light's vision was slowly fading away. His senses all numbed. His lungs were on the verge of collapsing...and that's when it happened.

Images, hundreds and hundreds of images floated in front of him. Even though he was pretty sure he couldn't see anymore. But these weren't visions. These were mere images. Images of him with his parents. Then the Images of Light in kindergarten. An image of his baby sister. An image of his dad's face in the hospital bed. Images of him walking home with his sister hand in hand.

Hundreds of such images of his life that had nothing to do with the Death Note directly flooded his senses. For once, he wanted to live. Live not as Kira, but as Light Yagami. As the respectable son of Soichiro Yagami, the chief of police department in Tokyo. He wanted to hold his sister's hands again and see her graduate high school. He wanted to tell his mother not to worry. He wanted so much at that very instant, that it was painful to think that he could never have them again.

He felt ashamed. Of not the lives he had taken, but for the life he had so arrogantly thrown away for the sake of acquiring the title of, 'god'.

He was ashamed of having deceived his father. Ashamed of failing to live up to his sister's expectations as a brother.

Light was ashamed in more ways than one and guilt pulsed through his veins. The blood rushed up to his head and no-one but his own shadow was present to share his shame with.

A lone tear fell from his left eye. And before the water droplet could touch the cold floor, Light Yagami was no-more.

Chocolate brown eyes remained fixed upon the ceiling of the shack. His mouth was set in a grim line that portrayed nothing but emptiness and sorrow.

~o~o~o~

The next morning, when Near and his SPK members had followed the trail of blood to the rundown shack. No, body could be retrieved. Only a mound of Light's bloody clothes remained as proof of him ever having lived.

They were puzzled and had an eery feeling that the psychotic fellow might have evaded them. This feeling alone was enough to urge them to go on a hunting spree after the supposed, escape artist. However, Near being the smart ass that he was, immediately put a stop to any such proceedings. The only reply he gave upon being questioned by his superiors was, "When a man dies of guilt, he can never be redeemed nor retrieved, unless he forgives himself."

The others were left to think over Near's chosen words.

~o~o~o~

In the shinigami realm, the death-king smiled evilly as he watched Ryuk write down the most coveted name of the human in his death-note through an all-telling and all-showing crystal ball. The old god silently thanked the apple-loving shinigami in his own unique way,

"That sly little bastard. He's got absolutely no idea, just how much entertainment this is going to be. You are such a fool to think otherwise Ryuk. This is the beginning of a new show altogether." The old king chuckled as he took a sip from his wine glass which had a very suspicious looking red colored, almost blood like liquid in it. He wiped away a thin line of red fluid trickling down his lips and cracked his weathered knuckles to emphasis just how excited he was.

Which was a lot. He hadn't had so much of fun in a millennia.

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**A/N :** This is the first time that I'm trying out a fic like this. It isn't solely based on Light's psych though. Read on to find out more.

I might get better in the future chapters OR I might not. It's all up to you guys to decide. Tell me, if you have any suggestions or complaints. I'm all ears!

Thanks for dropping by! Hugs!


	2. Chapter 1 : Rusted- Relations

**_First off, Reviewers..._**

*******_Throws flower bouquets at ya all_**!*****

_Darkness9825_

_V_ (What's your real name, Hon?)

_Anon_ (I wish you'd say your name, then I'd know, that I'm actually thanking a person. :P)

**A hearty thanks to ya all. :)**

**Same goes for my silent followers :') **

_DESGUARDIUS_

_fffiend_

_ladypiton_

Darkness9825

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**Note: The legal procedures are all of an Alternate universe, so please do not confuse them with the ones in real life. **

**This chapter has got nothing to do with Light directly. It deals more with the side-characters. Try not to get too disappointed.  
**

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note for the life of me -_- #

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**CHAPTER 1 – RUSTED RELATIONS  
**

"I still don't believe a word of what they said, mum," Sayu Yagami said between tears as she and Mrs. Yagami left the police headquarters after spending two full weeks under lockup. Well, technically it was more like they were under constant surveillance, minus all the bad food and the stuffy rooms. In fact the rooms they stayed in were more than equivalent to that of a five star hotel and every dish was very much palatable.

The duo was not aware of the real reason behind their confinement. They were told that it was for their protection, which was the half-truth after all.

All the good treatment and the dishes were completely lost on the grieving pair. They had lost half of their family. The head of the family had perished during a very 'difficult mission' and the second head was also lost to a similar 'difficult mission', three years later, so something as material as food and lifestyle could not uplift their mood that much. If at all, it made them feel even worse.

They weren't much happy with the lack of a body to explain Light's death either. Yet, they couldn't find any other plausible reason.

The women did weep. But, one was weeping on the inside and the other shed tears openly. Mrs. Yagami was the former.

The older woman, simply pulled her daughter along sway from that wretched Headquarters. Away from the place where the news of her husband's and son's death had been registered.

She increased her pace on the footpath, scared as if her only remaining daughter would also be snatched away from her.

Sachiko Yagami was scared, sad and angry. Angry at the men, who had brought in the news of her son's death, scared that he was still alive somewhere but was bleeding to death.

…Which could not be possible, since he was literally, blown apart by a land mine, while investigating the Kira case.

_A big,fat,damn lie._ It was all a cover up and Sachiko knew it. She could feel it in her bones. But she never said a word to her whimpering daughter. She was way too mad right then to say anything to anyone.

~o~o~o~

Sachiko Yagami was a mother of two well grown children, but she was still too young to have lived through the death of her husband and her son. She had a pretty average face for a Japanese, middle aged woman and if looked closely, a shred of prettiness from her youth was visible in those brown eyes. However, those eyes no longer showed much of anything, but a hollow emptiness.

She would smile at her friends if she met them in a shopping mall, but it didn't reach her eyes.

They didn't blame her, though. They knew the sort of things she had gone through and many women in her neighborhood also considered her a strong minded woman.

If only they knew.

Inside she was crestfallen and didn't trust in herself to be able to live another day. But she did. She had to. She had a hard time reminding herself that she still had a daughter, her only remaining family to take care of. That's why she tried to stay happy. That's why she lived on... but she could never move on.

Her daughter on the other hand, saw right through her mother's facade. She could clearly see the pain in her eyes even though her mother had tried to hide them behind harsh words. Sayu knew exactly what her mother was going through. After all, they were of the same blood.

The coming days was a series of 'peek-a-boo-at-my-pain' game, for the mother and daughter duo.

~o~o~o~

Sayu Yagami, tried her best to keep her mother occupied and happy. Sayu's attempts were clearly visible to her mother in every small thing she did. For example, Sachiko saw the way her daughter's face lit up with a small smile every time she was caught with a sad face... and in turn the mother tried to find humor in Sayu's half arsed attempts at a joke, while watching a movie.

She politely let Sayu help in the kitchen, even though she knew nothing about the first thing about boiling water.

Sayu had even improved in her academics in order to keep her mother smiling and proud. She had improved to a point, where she won the national math quiz on a regular basis.

Yes Sachiko was very proud of her daughter's achievements. But nothing ever seemed to distract her mother from the hideous truth of their life.

~o~o~o~

Sachiko would lay awake at night and stare at the photo album of her entire family. She caressed the photographface of Light with her forefinger. She thought about how sweet a future he would have had. How he would marvel at his sister's progress in academics. Yes, Sayu was in fact turning out to be quite a genius herself. She would ace almost all her papers now. Just like how Light had been during his school days. Oh, that trail of thought led to another sleepless and tearful night for her mother.

~o~o~o~

Sayu woke up with a start, as the nightmare of her brother's bloody face screamed out to her, telling her to run away as far as possible from an unseen demon.

She screamed, but her voice slowly faded away into a mess of tears and curses.  
She threw the blankets off her and crossed the length of her room in a frenzy. It was warm and she was sweating all over. She needed to get some cool water from the kitchen to calm her nerves.

On the way back to her room, Sayu found that the light in her mother's room was still on. As she approached, she heard soft, muffled cries and she realized it would be rude to interrupt, so she silently retracted to her own ball of grief in her room.

~o~o~o~

It had been over a year since the 'Kira incident' and everything seemed to go back to normal. Except fate wasn't done playing with the Yagami family yet.

Sayu came back home, exhausted from her day in school. It was her senior year. The last year in school, before she could finally go to university.

She threw her ragged bag on to the floor and ran to the kitchen to satisfy her famished stomach. She expected to be treated with the delicious smell of steaming rice from the rice cooker.

Instead the stench of her mother's blood filled her nostrils.

What she saw, upon entering the dining room, made her heart stop. Her voice constricted dangerously and she couldn't bring herself to speak.

When, her senses did decide to shout out for help...It was of no use.

On the floor lied Mrs. Yagami's lifeless body with a deep, bloody gash on her forehead.

~o~o~o~

There were no signs of forced entry, they said.

No one had tried to burgle into their home, they said.

It was not a suicide either... It was just misfortune, an accident, they said.

But the daughter knew better.

The breaking point for Sayu Yagami, was on the day her entire family had become non-existent. She couldn't stay in that wretched neighborhood any longer. Scratch that, the entire city- no, no- the entire country, reeked of misfortune.

Sayu was sick and tired of people dying on her. So on the day her mother died, she made the ultimate decision. She would survive her fate. She would survive in this cruel world and never fall prey to her emotions, no matter what.

And with that single thought in her arsenal, Sayu decided to fly abroad to her aunt's place in the UK. Her studies might have suffered a little. But what good is a woman in her homeland, if her heart had stopped beating for it?

~o~o~o~

When Matsuda and the others had returned from their chase without a body, the new chief commander was out of his wits. That was until Near showed up and calmed the situation in a very unpredictable way. Like he always did.

But it wasn't enough to satisfy the logically playing minds of the rest of the officers. So, Near did the next best thing.

He told them to keep Light's remaining family under surveillance for a period of two weeks and also to provide them with the best facilities that the FBI had to offer. In addition, the officers were not to offend Light's remaining family in the slightest. As far as they knew, Sayu Yagami and Sachiko Yagami were innocent citizens who were being kept under protection.

"Why only two weeks?" The new chief, a balding man in his mid-forties questioned the famous detective, 'L'.

The outer world wasn't aware of the death of L Lawliet or a certain Yagami taking over as L for a brief period of three years. So Near took over as the second 'L'.

"Three weeks is the maximum time we can keep innocent citizens under surveillance simply based on suspicion. But I won't require more than two. That's why." Near said, sucking his thumb. The action was unbeknownst to the chief.

"You think you can figure out wherever this lunatic is hiding by that time? How can you be so sure? "The chief frowned at the Laptop screen that displayed only a calligraphic letter 'L' in black.

"No. I didn't say I could. Why? Because he is dead, gentlemen. He will be dead for a long time to come... Unless all the rules written at the back of the Death Note were false and the Shinigami was lying," Near said as a matter-of-factly.

"Oh I know why you need just two weeks...it's to test that rule. Where a person dies if he or she doesn't kill using the Death Note within a period of thirteen days. Is it not?" Matsuda piped in a very serious tone. The Matsuda that everyone knew was long gone. His eyes showed sure signs of tiredness and his face was sagging with an unseen emotional weight of having to kill someone whom he had believed in as a good friend.

"Maybe..." the chorus of voices replied.

"But that doesn't make sense. We already know that Light had made up that rule to save his hide. He must've made someone else do his dirty work while he was under surveillance." Aizawa, an equally emotionally charged comrade, objected.

"While that is true… Can you tell me whether that other Kira had lived to see the fourteenth day once the notebook had been taken away from them by Light?" Near questioned and continued after a while.

"It is true that neither Light nor Misa died while they were under surveillance. But there is no telling how many other Kiras, Light could've set up to do his dirty work. There very well could've been others and they very well could've been extinguished before we ever came to know of their existence... Other than Higuchi that is."

The officers paused to consider this, and all they could do was, agree.

"Basically you mean that there are more such deadly notebooks out in the open and that these two remaining women of the Yagami family could be in the possession of the notebooks?!" The chief was flabbergasted upon realizing the real meaning behind L's statement. He hadn't thought about that until now.

"Four to be precise. But No I don't think that these women have all the four with them." Near sighed, frustrated at the other man's foolishness.

"That's absurd Nea-uh I mean 'L'. Sayu and Mrs. Yagami couldn't kill a fly! This is preposterous! After all that they've been through! How could you be so uncaring and inhuman?!" Matsuda exclaimed at Near's suggestion.

"Please calm down Matsuda. Do you not remember how Light had once convinced us all of how innocent he was? Have you still not learned your lesson? Never judge a book by its cover!" Mogi placed a soothing hand on Matsuda's shoulder.

"But... but... but...This ain't right-I just can't allow this! They need all the support that they can get right now! And you... you... Damn it!" Matsuda finally broke down into tears. His tough, emotionally drained facade was up.

"Mr. Kanzo would you be so kind as to take Mr. Touta outside?" The chief said half-heartedly.

Once the said men had left the conference hall. The meeting continued on as if nothing had happened.

"And how do you suppose we dispose of them all?" Aizawa asked in a tired voice. He had enough of Death Notes for one lifetime. The man was planning to quit his job after the Kira case was over. But now that seemed highly impossible. He didn't care in the slightest about, who was tried next or executed. He underwent the biggest shock of his life after Light had revealed his true identity two weeks earlier, to care about anybody any longer.

If it was possible for a person to show his nonchalance through a computer screen, then Near was your man.

"We don't dispose of them all. In fact we do nothing at all. There is no possible way of knowing where and in whose hands these notebooks are... If a situation like the Kira case arises again- which I'm pretty sure it won't- But if it does, we will have enough information to deal with it then."

"How can you speak of the Kira case like it's already closed? You can be very infuriating sometimes L!" The chief growled, obviously annoyed at 'L's' lack of respect for the FBI.

Ignoring the lesser man's outbursts, Near proceeded to end the discussion once and for all, "That's because according to the SPKA members and me, it is a closed case... But with all due respect, if you wish to pursue this case any further, be my guest. You'll only be wasting your precious time and resources, Chief." With that, Near signed off, leaving the Chief in anger-induced hysterics.

Although the chief didn't want to agree with that no good of a man, L. The detective did have a point. 'The Kiracase' was forever closed in the eyes of the public, the Tokyo police and the FBI...But never in Near's book.

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**A/N: I know this chapter was significantly shorter than the prologue, but I promise I'll try to make the next chap more lengthier. My semester finals are coming up and I'm kinda jumpy, If y'know what I mean?**

**I wanted to clear a few things up. Which are apparently important for the later part of my story.**

**I thought you guys would like to know, what exactly went on with the remaining part of the task force members and Near. Also I've always wondered how, Sayu and Misses Yagami would have lived after such a tragedy. So yeah!**

**Kindly review please? :)**

**Thanks for dropping by!**


	3. Chapter 2 : Death Bites Part I

**Note : Thanks for reviewing my story , y'all ! hope you like this one, just as much :) **

**Also, if you find any new words in Japanese, that you cant comprehend at-all. Then look into the glossary at the end of the story.**

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** CHAPTER 2 : DEATH BITES PART I  
**

Harsh winds blew out, making the barren landscape shiver. The land looked like it hadn't rained in decades. The ground had cracks all over its surface. The sky was brimming with clouds as if the thunder gods had been enraged and were tempting the dry land beneath them. Brief yet bright bolts of lightning struck every few minutes and the bang of thunder shook the earth.

Thousands of birds that looked like a hybrid of Pelicans and Eagles stared down at their prey. Lumps of slowly decaying, but alive shinigami were crawling at snail's pace. The winged beasts, _ooki tori_, were massive in size. Their body was covered with hardened-glass like feathers from which their beady eyes protruded out. Their beaks were crooked into shape like a pirate's hand hook, that helped them make a quick work of their prey. They would swoop down once a millennia, to fight for their prize: a shinigami, who was about to perish.

Shinigami who had broken the rules, death gods who simply didn't wish to exist any longer, and humans who had been granted the power of a shinigami all rotted away in this place.

_This place._

It was not the realm of Shinigami. It wasn't hell. The decaying masses, just knew it as This Place. This place…where they were doomed or eager enough to fall into.

In the midst of such lowly rotting creatures was a particularly interesting, bloody lump of flesh. It didn't seem to move at-all to the naked eye. But the ooki tori's eye's were better magnified than the naked eye of an human. They knew that this ball of flesh had a good number of days to go before it could become their food.

Even so, they zoomed in with their big-beady eyes to check upon their targeted prey, when it suddenly gave a jerk and pushed itself up. They stared at in amusement, as the lumpy figure didn't turn out to be one of those ugly shinigami that they'd always hated the taste off. It was a human girl. Probably no more than twenty years of age.

Well this was a first, the _ooki tori_ screeched in unison. No, woman had been brought up here before…at least not any human woman.

The woman finally managed to get up on her limbs. Shreds of plain black, something that must've been like her external skin, fell off her back as she started staggering towards an unknown destination.

The plain, black external skin was most likely, the remaining part of her frock that she was wearing before she was dragged into This Place. It was obviously not known to the _ooki toris_

She shivered as a strong breeze went by. Her long, golden-yellow mane fell loosely over her naked frame, as she tried to steady herself in the unfamiliar surroundings. She was dirty and blood and sweat slowly dripped from her smooth, tanned skin. Small cuts and bruises adorned her body. Her face was cast downwards and she used her right arm to support her left, as she dragged herself across the land of the decaying masses.

She looked delicious, The beastly birds, decided.

They would've swooped in and swallowed her whole right at that moment but that would result in their death too. They were barred from feeding off their prey as long as they were alive... sort of.

So they simply sighed and flew along to a different part of the land. It was a fairly large expanse, and though the probability of finding another human girl in the vicinity was unheard of, they couldn't put off that temptation.

~o~o~o~

Near sat on the leather couch waiting for his underlings to return from the recent pressing, press conference that they'd been forced to attend.

He sunk deeper into his couch and stared harder at open newspaper in front of him. As if that was merely enough to make the answers come right at him . There was some connection between the two deaths. He knew it. But whether that was because of some emotional connection that the victim felt or was it because of some supernatural force behind her death. That he couldn't be sure of... But yes, he was certain that if the circumstance were the same then there was absolutely no way for her to be alive. How he'd explain it to the public out there, was another matter.

His eyes went over the contents of the newspaper again, and this time he dint plan on leaving out anything. Not that he did that the first time around...

**The Japan Times**

**Date : 23/3/2009**

**Miss Misa Amane, Our Beloved Kukoo, Can no-longer sing.**

_Misa Amane-chan, twenty-one years, poster-girl for the Amai Hayari magazines. Renowned mostly for her modeling skills and her charming personality is believed, to have fallen of the Reinbo bridge in the Kanto region of Japan on Tuesday afternoon._

_Her clothes were found on the other side of the Kanji river, last evening at 7:42 pm by local fishermen. Her body however has yet to be recovered._

_She was last seen, taking the train to the Baki plains and if the paparazzi is to be believed, she visited the grave of her long time boyfriend before she fell._

_Many believe that she was tired of being under suspicion for committing a major felony._

_The FBI seems to be tight lipped about the circumstance of her mysterious disappearance._

_"We are investigating this matter. As soon as we find anything of importance, we will surely let the public know " Mr Mogi Kanzo, assistant officer of Tokyo police, said._

_Let us pray for the loss of our beloved, little model. Anyone, who wishes to pray for her safe return home, please visit the town hall on Saturday evening between 5:00pm to 9:00 pm . A candle light, march will be held._

~o~o~o~ ~o~o~o~

Light felt something pointy jab him on the shoulder. His head throbbed, but the gun-wound in his abdomen seemed to have stopped bothering him. Every part of his body still hurt like crazy. But he didn't feel like he was on the verge of death. His life force was drained out of him the very moment he hit _This Place_. Yet, he was alive.

In short, he was completely and utterly exhausted.

Light felt as if he was awakening after a long and bitter dream. As if all the things about Shinigami and Death Note were nothing but a figment of his wild imagination.

Alas, that was only a wish..

The jabbing continued.

Light slowly cracked his eyes open. For a moment he wasn't able to focus on anything clearly. His surroundings were bleary. He heard someone lightly grunt and cough near him, but the only thing he could clearly detect was the awful stench of decaying flesh.

As his eyes slowly adjusted to his surroundings, the first thing that became visible to him was the blood-red sky and the hungry looking vultures flying in circles above him. Atleast, he thought they were vultures.

A small pull of his torn sleeves resulted in the entire sleeve falling off. This forced Light to pay attention to the being beside him. He had to tear his eyes away from the hungry looking, maniacal birds above him. It wasn't easy, because the look in those little black eyes, no-matter how high in the sky they were, was mesmerizing and threatening at the same time.

At last he looked down to meet the beckoning creature next to him, and he almost wished he hadn't.

She was on lying on the ground, her legs and arms were half sprawled out. Her mouth was agape, not in surprise, but in pain. The blonde locks were all too familiar to him. Even though her face was somewhat constricted, Light recognized her immediately.

"M-Misa!" He gasped, half in frustration and half in confusion.

Her eyelids flew open and she looked more alive than before. Almost as if her name was a magic drug that could keep her alive.

"Light I finally found you." Misa stated simply and smiled. Then all of a sudden she sat up and bear-hugged him.

Light put an arm around her exposed body and hugged her back. His action was involuntary. It was something so regular, that he didn't think much about it. The weather was anything but cold. Sweat was dripping of both of their backs but no one seemed to mind the physical closeness. Even if they were stark naked in the middle of nowhere.

It is...comforting, Light thought.

After all the running and shunning he'd been through, it felt kind of right to be held by a ...friend.

**It's such a cliche'd word don't you think, pal?**

Light nearly jumped outta his skin upon hearing that strange yet familiar voice in his head.

'_What the fuck? Where did you come from! Thought I told you to stay away, moron!'_

"**From your little girl? Trust me, I have no interest in such a petty creature. Although, she looks quite ravishing right now."**The voice purred in his head, like an overgrown wolf.

_'You dirty pig! You know damn well, what I was talking about so just get the hell outta my head! I'm tired as shit already!'_

**"Hey! With all due respect, Captain. I'm not the one cuddling with a naked woman. So who's the dirty pig now?"** The voice chuckled darkly.

This seemed to have jerked Light back to reality and that brought a really huge blush onto his cheeks.

**'See ! You're even blushing!'** The voice continued to tease him.

_'I swear... If you dont shut up in the next three seconds. I'll...I'll... Kill Myself! Then you can live on - oh wait, you can't live on. 'cause you'll be dead too! MUHAHAHAHA!'_ Light Laughed sarcastically, hoping that would at least shut Kira up.

And it did.

Light smirked bashfully at this silly victory over Kira. Forgetting the rather compromising position he was in.

"Um- Light ? Where are we?" Misa questioned him, sounding as tired as she felt. She mistook his smirk for a satisfied smile that had probably been prompted by her hugging him.

Misa's ironic question brought Light out of his reverie. He looked down at her tired face, trying his very best to not look anywhere else.

"I've got no damn clue. Hey, you were awake for a longer time than I have been. Surely, you must've picked up on something by now?" Light questioned her with a straight face.

He knew that Misa probably wouldn't have noticed anything. She was always so ignorant of her surroundings. A trait which made people believe that she was stupid. A bimbo. Heck, initially he believed that himself.

However though, Light knew now that wasn't the case. Misa reserved her bouts of smartness only for the direst of situations. Very few people ever got to see her in action and he was one of those rare few.

'Doesn't this qualify as a dire situation though?' Light thought.

"I've b-been awake only for a couple of minutes, m-more than you...t-the First thing I knew...was that you w-were here. ...so I set out to find y-you." She tried to sound chirpy but her eyes were already closing.

Light was about to ask her how she had managed to find him. But upon seeing her struggle though, he shut his trap.

She was slowly fading away in his arms, but the strangest thing was that she didn't look like a dying woman. Her face was serene, regret was absent. He could almost hear her thoughts out loud. I'm glad that I'm dying in his arms at least.

A brief pang of guilt and fear pulsed through his veins. It wasn't because he loved her or cared for her. The feeling of fear was so sudden, that he wondered why he even felt anything for his pawn.

_'Was, she a pawn though? '_

**'Like duh, she was! But just maybe, not now... Having second thoughts, eh?'**

_'Hey! Didn't I tell you to shut-up? and NO! I'm not having any second thoughts...it's just that... she could have been alive, still. She could've led a good-full life...It's just that...that... she didn't have to go this way...BAH! Screw it! Why the heck am I even speaking to you?'_

"..."

_" Oh! So now you choose to disappear on me?!'_

There was no-reply.

Not because Kira didn't have any comeback, oh he had plenty!

But unknown to Light, Kira was undergoing some severe personality changes at that moment and the process was pretty, disabling.

~0~0~0~

Light had forgotten all about the maiden in his lap, when all of a sudden she was thrown away into the muddy ground by an unseen force. Her unconscious figure was sprawled on the ground.

The striking of thunder grew louder and louder until it was deafening. The ooki tori were going hay-wire. Loud noises always bothered them, and they screeched like mad creatures. They thrashed about in the sky.

The ground was attaining a very high temperature, almost, as if it was being cooked on a frying pan. Thin, white ribbons of steam rose from the creeks.

Light watched in horror as Misa's body was flung into the air and was lit aflame. The flames were licking her body, taunting her, begging her to wake up so they could hear her scream.

And scream she did.

The lower half of her body was engulfed in bright red flames and she let out a scream that seemed to shatter their very environment. Even the loud thundering paled in comparison to her monstrous yell. The flames were not merciful in the slightest. They lapped her blood up like savage monsters.

Light moved away from the disgusting scene, afraid of getting caught in the fire.

Finally, before the inferno could take her life force away, dozens of the ugly birds swooped down at unbelievable speed and devoured her charred remains.

Light covered his ears, shut his eyes and doubled over in disgust. He felt the bile move up his throat.

This never happened before. He had killed a countless number of people by now, but he had never witnessed their death in person.

He wasn't sure how to handle it.

Misa was gone now. Every trace of her body was gone, but her screaming was still very much present. It still shook the earth like an earthquake.

Her pain… he could see it very well in her eyes. The way she silently called out to him with that look in her eyes made his stomach lurch.

It couldn't be helped now, however.

Hell...he didn't even know whether he could save himself, if the same sort of thing happened to him. So how could he possibly think of saving that girl?

~0~0~0~

Light seemed to have tuned out Misa's everlasting yell as he now tried to live through his own catastrophe.

It started out as small, cramp in his lower back, but slowly it grew to a more unbearable pain. This pain spread to his entire body. And he could feel his skin being peeled off. As he looked down at his bare arm. It was no-longer the color of light-tan that he remembered. It was now a bright rosy color. He couldn't see the flames. But he could certainly feel them. They were eating him from the inside, burning his internal organs.

He wanted to scream, but his voice wouldn't let him.

If , Misa's pain had been terrific. This pain that he felt, was much beyond terrific.

The screeching ooki toris, were still present. They jumped up and down with glee on overhanging branches. This potential for today's feast was exhilarating. It was not often they were able to feed on two beings in one day.

Light closed his eyes in fear. Yes, now only fear was left in his soul. He knew there was no-return from this now. He knew that he was going to die the same way Misa had. He knew he was seconds away from being eaten by those humongous ugly creatures.

Oh how little he knew.

For as soon as his pain had intensified to a point where he could barely breathe, let alone scream, the ooki tori took off. He's already on the ground…

He could breathe again.

His skin was repairing itself.

No more scratches or scars were visible.

He was alive now.

Light sat up straight and examined his repaired body parts with eyes as wide as dinner plates.

_What the hell ?! ...what in the name of justice is going on here?!_

Light was scared out of his wits. Someone here had the upper hand and it wasn't him. He didn't like that idea very much. He was supposed to be the one and only GOD. Only he was supposed to have the upper hand.

Fear and anger rippled through him. These two emotions were his drive. They had kept him one step ahead, always.

This anger intensified ten-fold when he realized that he was being played by someone.

NO ONE had the right to play with him like that. No one killed his allies without his permission.

He wanted Misa back. But bringing her back was impossible. He didn't care the slightest about the girl, but she was his pawn and ally. She was his. And he never took being robbed of his possessions lightly.

It is always wrong to take something that is not meant for you.

It wasn't right in the slightest, and being god himself; Light couldn't allow such a hideous act.

A few moments of dense silence passed by.

His head hung low and his bangs covered his face.

From afar, he looked like any other decaying body taking its last breath. However, the air around him told a different story. There was a dark, unspoken veil of killer intent flowing around his kneeling frame. So much so, that the few ooki tori that were still loitering nearby stopped their bickering to look up at him with a bit of apprehension.

After what seemed like decades of silence. His head shot up and a yell of pure agony rushed from Light's mouth.

His yell was even more tremendous than Misa's had been just moments before. His voice seemed as though two beings were yelling at once. One human, the other was not of a natural world.

Also, a very distinguished feminine edge could be found in that voice. It was almost as if Misa had materialized herself as Kira in Light's mind.

When it finally spoke up, it had a reverberating trait and shook the ground like an earthquake.

_**"I will not stand being played with! Come out and play straight if you've got the damn guts for it!"**_

* * *

**Note :**

**Glossary :**

**Ooki tori :** Meaning Huge birds . Well technically, 'ooki' means huge and 'tori' meaning bird!

I hope it doesn't have any another meaning in Japanese. If it does, please let me know. I'll change it immediately.

**Amai ( sweet ) + Hayari (Fashion)** = Sweet Fashion.

**Shingami :** God of death. (I know it's obvious, but just incase you didn't know...)

**So in the name of whatever is sacred and good in the anime world. Review kindly ?** **XO**


	4. Chapter 3 : Death Bites Part II

**Note :** Hey guys ! I'm back . (hope that's a good thing?) I'm sorry this took longer than intended. Life got in the way. Whats more, to make up for the delay, I made this chapter extra long! (word length : 4290)!

Before I leave you in peace, let me just say how loved I feel for all the reviews that you lovely people have decided to leave for me. Thanks a bunch!

Here's another chapter for y'all ! Enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER 3 : DEATH BITES PART II**

"That wasn't much fun. You really had to take her out so early?" Haneshiro, the white feather pen of the great Yama, spoke up for the first time in weeks.

The King of Shinigami ignored his little Yan knowing full well what would happen if he paid attention to the little monster in his hand.

Haneshiro was the most flamboyant Yan any King could ask for; however, he wasn't the ideal Yan. He was stylish and suited for the job alright, but his rather sarcastic remarks and sadistic nature made him unbearable to deal with. No King of Shinigami liked to get an opinion on their unbiased judgement.

Hanehiro, however did not get the point of ultimate decision. He liked to toy around with his prey quite a bit before going in for the kill, and that didn't happen with this human girl called Misa. Shiro had always had a penchant for trouble makers down on the mud-ball they knew as Earth, and this girl Misa, was easily one of the most mischievous ones. Plus, Hanehiro found himself rather bored in a realm where tick-tack, chess and other tiring games were the only ways for him to pass the time. So, when the possibility of a major change in their monotonous lifestyle showed up in the form of the tainted soul of Misa Amane, Haneshrio couldn't help but be a little disappointed at missing the opportunity to add her to his list of 'amusing' games.

Haneshiro's disappointment manifested in his sulking in darkest corner of Yama's pencil.

Having grown bored of sulking, the Yan finally decided to complain about his master's injustice. Damnit, he had as much right to fun as his master did. It was time Yan let his master have a piece of his mind.

_Otherwise the old geezer would have picked up on my mood and said something by now, Haneshiro thought. Either that or he thinks he'll get away by ignoring me. Well, in that case ..._

"Hey, old man! You know what happens when the loyal dog gets dementia? He bites his own master!"

The Shinigami king lazily rolled one of his eyes at the pen on his table stand and smiled casually at the implied threat. The king had prior experience with his little Yan to ignore the joke completely.

"Oh so he speaks afterall!" King said with a fake, bemused tone .

"Stop being such a spoiled sport, you old geezer! I know how you enjoy screwing with me!" Yan squealed like a child.

"Whatever are you speaking about, Haneshrio?" The old King chuckled and feigned innocence, which further angered the little white feather.

"She was the last one to arrive and you went totally against the rules this time! Did you have to kill her ahead of time?" Haneshiro shouted at his wielder.

"Oh hush. What are the rules but an extension of my wishes?" The king said shrugging his thin shoulders.

"Well it's still not fair! She looked like a really nice toy to play with...I almost never have any fun around here!" Haneshiro complained grumpily to his master.

"Don't worry, the next one is going to be a lot more fun." The king smirked evilly at his new plan.

That little piece of news seemed to have put Haneshrio in good mood instantly.

"The next one? Which one? Ooh is that a human girl too?" Haneshrio asked excitedly.

"Ah, just wait 'n watch my dear fellow." The old King smiled in his throne as he proceeded to write another name in the open notebook that was placed on his lap.

"...and I'll let you have all the fun this time, I promise."

~O~O~O~

Light propped himself up on his elbows and cursed as the very action painfully pulled at his muscles. He sat up slowly, wincing as the muscle strain got worse. After stretching a bit and yawning like a well-slept cat, he looked around to get a better view of his surroundings.

The area seemed a bit different from what he remembered. One major difference was that the sky was clear of those humongous flying beasts, the sun was shining quite brilliantly, and ground didn't seem as. In fact, he realized he was grabbing onto a handful of lustrous green grass.

After looking around a bit more, he almost thought he was living a dream. All that he was seeing now could not possibly be true.

He was dead and he knew that it was hell where he was sent to. Only in hell could you could find flames as 'chivalrous' as the ones that took Misa out. Light couldn't imagine a place so bright and happy to be...hell. So if this wasn't a dream, then it only meant one thing.

He was dead and redemption was on its way.

He didn't understand why he even needed redemption, though. Sure, he killed a lot of people, but they were a lot of bad people, mind you.

He was God and no one ever had the right to point finger at God. Right?

Either this was what people called heaven or he was being played yet again. The very idea of being played made his blood boil. His body began to shiver terribly out of rage, and at that moment he remembered what had happened moments ago before he went unconscious.

Yes it all came back to him. He was screaming at the injustice being done to him, Then he heard a voice which was much gruffer than the one coming out of his own throat. It told him to stay put.

'_Cause you are in for one helluva ride, boy._ The voice had said humorlessly.

Light had blacked out right after hearing that strange voice and couldn't remember much after that. He wasn't even sure how long he was out. It could've been days or months even. At least he wasn't tired. Well, not tired from being exhausted but tired, because he had slept for longer than intended.

_Man...all this is getting really confusing. I wish someone would just tell me, if I'm being punished. That way it'd be a lot easier to bear this shit._

Suddenly, he heard light footsteps approaching him from behind. From years of being a detective and a law enforcer, he judged from the sound of the footsteps alone that it was probably a female.

"Light."

He turned around at the mention of his name. The voice was familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it until he looked up to her face.

She was smiling down at him. Her eyes were protected from the sun rays by a wide brimmed straw hat. Light noticed that her black hair was longer, as it swung to her waist now. She was wearing a flowing white dress and the hem was smudged with reddish stains. The stains caught his attention for some time, and he contemplated moving away from this creature. Maybe all this was the beginning of a nightmare and he was being fooled by the calm atmosphere.

She seemed to have learned what he was thinking, as the next moment she sat down beside him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about that. It's nothing." She said in a sweet voice, gesturing at the hem of her dress.

Light simply looked at her warily. He was always wary of women, especially the ones he had worked with. So Kiyomi Takada was no different. He shook her hand from his shoulder and stood up. The immediacy of his action made his head twirl a bit and he would have hit the ground again if Takada hadn't sprung up and caught him on time.

"I'm fine Kiyomi. You don't have to hold on to me anymore," Light said, annoyed at being supported.

"Hey, who's Kiyomi, mister?" The young woman asked in surprise. The look of surprise was clear and genuine in her eyes.

Light was confused as he looked into her face again. Yes, it was Takada alright. There was no mistake on his part. The possibility of her having lost her memories crossed his mind. After-all anything was possible right now. He decided to play along and ask her who she was instead.

"Oh sorry," He began in a weary voice. "She used to be a girl that I used to know. I swear you look just like her, Miss-?" He prompted.

"I'm Aya... Hanamo Aya." She said simply , but there was a slight tinge of surprise in her expression that Light couldn't attribute to anything.

So she's not only lost her mind but someone has been feeding her false memories of her life? Wow things just keep getting weirder and weirder!

"So Aya, tell me... do you know where this place is ?" Light asked casually.

"What do you mean? Have you not been here before, Light?" She replied, sounding bemused.

"You..." Now that Light thought about it , she'd called him out before too. "how... do you know my name?" He was baffled. If she didn't remember her own name, then how was she able to recognize him?

"We used to be friends right? How can you forget the days we spent fishing together?!" She exclaimed, unexpectedly.

_Fishing? What non-sense! Has she gone mad?_

Upon seeing the confused look on Light's face. Aya started again. "Oh you poor soul, you must've hit your head in the fall! Why don't you come along to my place and I'll give you something to eat while I find a remedy for your condition!"

Before she could bring her plan into motion and drag him to wherever her cave was, he spoke up. "Uh,that sounds great, Aya, but I don't think I need any remedy. And of course, I remember you! I was playing a joke on you, silly!" Light gave out a nervous laugh.

She looked at him skeptically, before shrugging and believing him. "Well, at least take up my offer of lunch? You seem like you could faint any moment."

"I'm not hungry." The rather audible growl from his stomach completely obliterated his point.

"I don't think someone agrees with you" Aya smirked, folding her arms.

And that was the end of discussion. Light was going to have lunch with a probably dead woman in her humble abode, which could well turn out to be the dungeon of a monster.

_What have I gotten myself into now?_

_**Lunch with a hot date? C'mon, you gotta agree. She's hot!**_

Light was a little surprised to hear a comeback from Kira. His voice also sounded a bit different…but strangely familiar. Light wasn't in the mood to go into a verbal sparring match with this thing, so he simply played along.

_Yeah, hot and dead._

_**You mean dead hot, right?**_

_'...'_

**_Riight?!_**

~O~O~O~

The interior of Aya's home wasn't the least bit scary. In fact, it was nothing like Light had expected it to be.

The walls weren't adorned with the skulls of dead animals and there were no-signs of any pagan activities. The candles were not arranged in some kind of hex circle, there were no floating ghosts. There was nothing to indicate that this place was a witch's idea of having fun.

Light sighed in relief. At least the cottage seemed ordinary enough. It was a plain county-side style home. The walls were adorned with nothing but the bare essentials, like a cutlery cupboard, a couple of picture frames and a few small wall-lamps. The house was small. It consisted of two bedrooms. Well, one was a store-room which had been furnished differently to pass for a bedroom. There was a kitchen, a bathroom and a dining room in which Light was currently seated.

He looked over at Aya, who had just brought in a tray full of god-knows-what to eat. She placed the covered tray on the table and pushed it over to his side, knocking down a candle in the process.

"Oh em gee! I'm so sorry Light," she proceeded to put out the candle, but Light beat her to it.

"Never mind I got it." Light said, stubbing out the lit end of the candle with his brown shoe. Yes, he still wondered who clothed him. Because he wasn't aware of putting them on himself.

"Well, c'mmon then, open it!" Aya gestured at the tray of food with impatience.

Light carefully took hold of the handle of the steel cover and slowly slid it off. He half expected to find the head of a monster or a dead man sitting on the plate. Instead he breathed in the delicious smell of roasted turkey. He opened his eyes to find that it was in fact a roasted turkey.

He looked at Aya's impatient expression and figured she was simply curious to find out whether he liked her cooking or not. He picked up the carving fork and knife and started carving the meat. Firs,t he delicately sliced into the legs and the juices ran clear, indicating that the meat was well cooked. Then using the fork, he held a part of the meat rigidly and used the knife to separate the joints neatly. After having divided the pieces equally between the two of them he handed her a plate.

They didn't eat in silence like civilized people were expected to.

"So you have been staying here alone all this time?" Light questioned trying not to sound like a lost-puppy. After all, if he had known Aya for as long as she said he did. He wasn't going to risk being called out as a fake.

"All this time? You mean from the time you left ? Yes. Yes I have." She sounded sad.

"Forgive me Aya but I don't quite seem to remember how long ago that was." Light said sincerely.

"Well it was a long time ago. You went away to bring my father back from the woods and then he returned and you didn't. We sent out a search party and then they too got lost. Those who went in search of the lost men from the search party were also lost to us forever. Slowly a rumor spread that the woods were haunted and that anyone who dared enter would be taken away from humanity. Over time, everyone left the area in fear of losing their loved ones to the haunted woods." She smiled at him sadly. "My father and I were determined to stay until we found you. Everyone tired to talk us out of it, but we told them the same thing every-time. We weren't going nowhere without you."

Light listened to Aya in utter amusement. He had almost finished his plate by now but he was still hungry. Seeing his dilemma, Aya pushed her plate over to him.

"Here you can have my share too." She smiled at him prettily.

"Thanks...so then where is the old man?" Light questioned, curiosity getting the better of him.

Her face fell as she tried not to shed tears at the thought. "He...passed away one night while I was out in the woods searching for a remedy to his illness."

"But you said that no one ever came back from the woods. Then how...?" Light was getting more and more curious about Aya's bizarre little tale.

"Well you did, didn't you?" She diverted the topic. He figured it was too painful for her to talk about something so closely related to the death of her father.

"I... guess so." Light admitted falsely.

Light had finished his lunch and was looking forward to hearing more of her bizarre story, when she abruptly stood up, pushed her chair into place and called out to Light before moving out of the dining room with dirty plates in hand.

"I'll get them cleaned. Meanwhile you can take a stroll outside if you like. But don't wander too close to those damned woods. You hear me?"

Light did as he was told and moved out. He wanted some time to clear his head anyway.

~O~O~O~

"Seriously? A dead father and a maiden in distress? Is that how you plan on having fun?!" The Yan complained yet again at having been denied the chance to play with this probable prey.

"Well how do you suppose we play then, Haneshrio-chan?" The old King mocked his Yan in a silly girly voice.

"Don't you dare, old man! It's san! Haneshiro-san!" Haneshiro screeched, annoyed at the pure lack of respect.

"And how many times have I told you that it's, 'Yama-san' not 'old man'?" The old king sighed.

"Well you certainly don't act like a king! Tell me, what kind of king would base his punishment on a plot like a damsel in distress?!" The Yan screamed.

"Okay then, since you're sure that you can write a better story, I give you full permission to punish him based on your judgement. But this will be the one and only time. If I do not enjoy your story, then I'm exchanging you for a better and more obedient Yan. You get my point Haneshrio-san?" The Shinigami challenged.

But Haneshiro had long stopped listening to his master. He couldn't care less if he was exchanged. He just wanted to have a good time and it was worth losing his position as the Yan to the Shinigami.

By the time the Shinigami had finished the challenge, Haneshrio was already scribbling his story.

The old king glanced at the manuscript and smirked. "I don't see much difference between damsel in distress and death of the Maiden."

~O~O~O~

Light was strolling in the backyard and trying to figure the head and tail of the story that Aya had spun. He didn't know what to believe by this point. He was thankful to her for the food. But that didn't mean he'd believe every lie that she'd say, right?

**_Maybe it ain't all lie, Light-Dono!_**

Light was mildly surprised to notice a change in Kira's voice. It wasn't because of its sudden appearance.

…No, there was something much more to it than that. There was a distinctly female edge to his voice and there was something about it that sounded sharper, more direct. It also had traces of the old Kira's voice, as though two people were speaking at the same time… He decided to forego questioning this change for now. Light barely had any idea of what was happening to himself, much less to a being who had elected to take residence inside his own head.

Instead, he decided to avoid the subject and get Kira's opinion on the subject.

_You again..._

_**Yep! It's me, the almighty Kira!**_

_Almighty Kira my ass, _Light thought , totally unaware that Kira had heard that.

**_Do you intend to give someone else my title then, Light Dono ? _**

The use of the suffix, jolted Light's memory of a very annoying girl. Light's eyes widened with realization and confusion. It wasn't so-much about the suffix, as the way it was said. It was exactly how Misa would croon in his ear every time she wanted something done, back when they were alive.

Without thinking Light blurted out her name,

"Misa!"

**_Where is she? I dont see any Misa around here... by the way, that blockhead doesn't deserve MY title ! _ **

Light had had it with Kira's gibberish talk. He decided he needed to think things through and that couldn't be done with this stupid voice around.

_Shut up please?_

_**What if I say no?**_

_I dunno..._

_**Geez , Man you're no fun at all!**_

_Then why are you still hanging around?_

_**Uh, 'cause you want me to?**_

_What part of, 'get-the-hell-outta-here' do you not understand?_

**_Dude face it. You're lost, and the best person to go to right now is me and you know it._**

_No. I don't!_

_**Whatever makes you feel better Light-Dono.  
**_

Light tried to compare Misa's and Kira's personality. Misa was childishly bossy, selfish, unpredictable and annoying. But also obedient and never said 'no' to him. This voice however was ...bossy, annoying,popped up at random times, meaning it was unpredictable.

The voice was not obedient before, but now however, it listened to him after a few round of arguments. So it was somewhat ...obedient?

Yep, Light hated to admit it but Misa's personality and that of this new voice known as Kira were almost similar.

Okay, that settled it.

Light was pissed and just plain frustrated. He wasn't going to think about some non-existing,imaginary voice anymore. He had bigger things to worrying about right then!

After walking around in circles for a little longer, Light decided grudgingly that he'd need second opinion on Takada's strange behavior. It didn't matter whether it was from a voice inside his head that he found to be irritatingly familiar to one girl that he hated the most. Atleast he'll get some closure to his dilemma.

_'...So you think she's telling the truth?'_

**'...'**

_Hey, you there, fool?_

**'...'**

_'Cmmon dammit answer me! I'm asking you for your help!'_

There was no-reply yet again. Light finally decided to try his trump card and addressed the voice directly with respect. After spending a little time with Kira, Light had learn that he craved respect more than anything.

_Yo Kira? ...Kira-dono?  
_

and it worked like a charm.

_**Whazzup?!**_

_Excuse me ?_

_**Dude, it's an American expression. People there use it all the time! how can you not know?!**_

_Maybe 'cause I haven't been there?_

_**Oh cut the crap! I know you have!**_

_Well, Anyway. As I was saying... do you think she's telling the truth?_

**_No, I think that she 'thinks' that she is telling the truth._**

_So do I. But..._

**_But , you want this to be real? Face it Light-dono, you died and all this is possibly a trap. Someone out there is waiting for you to let your guard down and then bam!_**

_Maybe so, but where the hell is this place? What am I doing here?_

_**Obviously this is hell and you're here to draw out your punishment,baka! If it looks anything like heaven then it's obviously hell.**_

_What the heck was that supposed to mean?_

Light didn't get the time to speculate further, as a shrill voice rang through the calm evening air. He turned around in time to see the door to Aya's cottage close with a thud.

Light wasn't sure why he was running towards what could possibly be danger. It was like his legs had a mind of their own.

When he finally made it to the front door steps, the door opened from the inside and there stood a frame of charred flesh. It was Aya.

She was looking straight ahead. An agonized expression was permanently etched on to her face, her eyes were shut tightly close and her mouth was agape in a silent scream. The scene was all too familiar to Light. He knew what was coming next... the birds.

But it wasn't so, as slowly her leg was torn away from underneath her. Blood gushed out of the gaping wound and she fell to the floor in an unceremonious heap.

She wasn't dead yet. It would be too easy and Light knew that nothing here happened the easy way.

Slowly her joints were broken and she was diced into pieces by an invisible chopper, much like how Light had cut the Turkey during lunch.

Light watched with a mixture of horror and curiosity as her body became a morbid mess. After there seemed to be nothing left, the room was lit aflame and Light could hear the very familiar screeching of birds closing in.

Light dint wait to find out what happened to Takada. He knew what would happen next. It would be his turn to feel the pain. To be diced like a piece of cooked meat. He dint want that, so he ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

He ran out of the barn and into the woods, ducking below low-hanging branches, racing through tall-grasses and swatting away blood-sucking bugs as he ran. He ran as though his very life depended on it.

He ran until he could no longer hear the roar of the flames and see the smoke flare up from the cottage.

He didn't know how long he'd been running like a blind man or whether he was far enough to be safe from those beasts. But when he did stop, it wasn't out of weariness but of the pain that had eventually caught up to him. No amount of running could save him from the inevitable pain that accompanied every death he had witnessed. Light knew that. Yet he had attempted to escape the pain and now he paid dearly. There was a saying that played through his head:

_"The more you run away the more dearly it catches on."_

And catch on it did. First, his limbs were torn apart like pieces of paper. Then one by one, his joints were dislocated so he stumbled down on the forest floor.

The earlier death that he had experienced was better in this aspect. He was torn to shreds from the inside so he didn't actually have to see himself become a bloody dump on the muddy ground. However, this time around he could both see it and feel it. It wasn't a good feeling in the least.

He screamed out in pure agony. Pain was pulsing through his veins and it was excruciating enough to make a man pass-out. But not Light. He wouldn't pass-out until he had experienced every ounce of pain that the universe had to o**f**fer. That was his punishment and his punishment would last the longest.

~O~O~O~

"Thats it then? That's how her story ends? "The shinigami shook his head in disapproval.

"Yeah, wasn't that beautiful and absolutely fantastic to hear her scream? I love that sound! its music to my ears. Mmmmh-hmmm." The Yan said, sounding satisfied with his work.

"Yeah but it didn't come as a surprise to my intended victim. He knew what was coming. Man I wanted to see the surprise on his face. You totally ruined my soap this evening, Haneshrio!" The death god scolded his Yan .

"Awe well, you could've said so in the beginning!" The Yan casually said and laid back into the Shinigami's throne to relax.

* * *

**A/N :**

**Glossary**

**Yan :** The most efficient assistant of the King of shinigami/Yama.

**Yama :** God of Shinigami's or king of hell, based on the Hindu/Buddhism mythology.

**Haneshiro :** Is a name, but technically, Hane means feather and Shiro = white. Haneshiro is a Yan. He is believed to be more powerful than rest of the Yans.

**Kindly review? Kudos! :D**


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